I’m taking a mini blogging break this week and spending some extra time with family, so my post today tonight is a little shorter than usual. The good news is, this outing doesn’t need a whole lot of explanation.

Oh and before I begin, I need to give you a quick warning. The pictures for this post are subpar at best. Actually, the pictures for this post are downright bad. Ha! I used my iphone to capture this outing and the combination of low lighting and me trying to take pictures and watch three little kids by myself in a crowded theater, created a series of very blurry pictures. Not my best work, but I think you will still have all the information you need for a great outing.

My crew and I enjoyed this morning break a few weeks ago when the temperatures were high and we had spent a few too many days out in the sun. The kids needed an indoor activity that morning and I knew the perfect one.

Bow Tie Cinemas offers a great program each summer where they have FREE movies for the kids every Tuesday and Wednesday mornings at 10:00 am.

The movie being shown is pre-scheduled and changes on a weekly basis and all the details can be found in the handy dandy flyer below.

Bow Tie Cinemas offers these free morning movies at three Connecticut locations: Hartford, Stamford, and Trumbull. We decided to check out the Hartford location.

For our visit, we arrived at the theater about 20 minutes before the movie started to make sure we got a ticket for the show. The tickets are handed out on a first-come, first-serve basis and are limited to theater capacity, so I tried to arrive a little bit early just to make sure we got a seat. I’ve done this outing twice now, arriving around the same time and haven’t had an issue getting a ticket (not that two outings would warrant any type of scientific study 🙂

As we entered the theater, someone was right at the door handing out tickets for the show.

With tickets in hand, we made our way inside.

I loved how it was a semi-real theater experience for the kids. This was only the fourth time the older ones had been to a movie theater and they loved getting their movie tickets and then turning them in at the front.

Before we went to our seats, we got in line to pick up some popcorn. We decided to go for the giant bucket of popcorn (how can you resist) and I was excited to see that on Tuesdays the bucket is only $5 (I think it is normally $7).

With snacks in hand, we made our way into the theater.

We had no problem finding seats together. This theater has stadium seating and we sat in the first row where the stadium seats began. That ended up being a great spot because the kids could easily see the movie and there were no seats in front of them that they could kick (which would have driven me nuts!)

I forgot to check and see if this theater offers booster seats for the little theater visitors, but that is something I have seen at other theaters and need to ask about next time I’m there (if you know the answer, I would love to hear in the comment section below!)

The kids made it about 3/4 way through the movie before they started to get a little antsy. The popcorn helped a lot when that started happening because eating popcorn gave them something extra to do. Even if we only made it through half the movie, though, it still would have been worth it. It’s FREE!

The program runs six more weeks until August 20th, so be sure to check out the schedule above and mark your calendar for the next event!

Pricing

Details:

Baby Changing Station: YES. There was one located in the restroom we visited near the concession stand.

Parking: At the Hartford location, parking is available in a large parking lot outside the theater. There is no charge to park.

Food for Sale: YES. The concession stand is open for the morning showing.

Outside Food Allowed: NO (I think). Actually, I didn’t verify this one. I have always assumed that no outside food is allowed in movie theaters, but that could be a completely wrong assumption! I did bring with me the kids water bottles and I always have snacks in my purse and that wasn’t a problem.

Cash Required: NO. Credit cards are accepted.

Dress Code: NO. No special clothing is required.

Evening/Weekend Hours: NO. At least the FREE movies aren’t offered during that time. Of course, regular movies are offered during those days/hours!

Tips and Things to Bring

Arrive a little bit early to ensure you get a ticket, have time to purchase snacks (if you want to), and are able to find a seat in the theater. We arrived about 940 am for the 10:00 am showing and didn’t have any problems.

Just know that the theater can get crowded. There were several large groups of children enjoying the movie the day we visited.

Bring a long sleeve shirt or sweater for the kiddos (and yourself). It always gets a little chilly in theaters.

4D Vision Gym – A vision training center located in Cromwell, CT where Dr. Juanita Collier, MS, OD and her staff show members how to utilize Vision Therapy to correct visual issues and make learning and playing easier and more fun.

The Independent Day School – Located on a rural campus in Middlefield, CT this private pre-school, elementary and middle school serves families from over 20 communities.

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Want to keep up with things to do with kids in Connecticut?

Check back every Tuesday and Thursday as we dish up more Momsense for getting out and about with your little ones. Don’t have time to check back in? Let us send you an automatic notification of new posts straight to your email inbox by signing up here. Also, you can like us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with the latest posts and get some extra tidbits we share only through those sites.

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Comments

Love it! I do Care 4 kids and it is A Field Day 4 us.. Been doing it for like 4yrs. Thank You We love it and I would recommend it 2 any family, God Bless u all , whomever came up with the Idea Thanks again…..